Coupling device for use in toy railroads



A. D. GASH, JR

COUPLINGDEVICE FOR USE' IN TOY RAILROADS Sept. 14, 1 94-8.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 18, 1945 Y E N R 0 T T A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1945 IN V EN TOR.

,4 rromvsv Patented Sept. 14, 1948 COUPLING DEVICE FOR USE IN' TOY RAILROADS Abram Dale Gash, Jr., Irvington, N.J., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York v Application April 18, 1945, Serial No. 588,947

9 Claims. (Cl. 213-75) The present invention relates to coupling devices for use in toy railroads, and is especially Well adapted for coupling. a toy locomotive and tender together. l 3

Where the toy train employs a steam typ locomotive it is always provided with a tender which must be coupled to it so that the locomotive can draw the train and the locomotive and tender can traverse the curving track. Heretofore the couplers in use for this purpose have made it necessary to have the tender trail behind the locomotive a distance which is much greater, in proportion, than in regular railroad practice, and hence the toy locomotive-tender combination has not given the most desirable simulationof the full size combination.

Itis an object of the present invention to provide coupling devices particularly suitable for this purpose wherein the tender and locomotive are kept as close together as the'two vehicles can possibly be placed. With this construction the tender is kept close to the locomotive, not only on straight track, but on curving track, and the locomotive and tender are able to take the sharpestturns which toy railroad operation requires.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of-illustrating the present invention, two embodiments in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings:

. Figure 1 is a perspective. view showing the various parts employed in making up a coupler;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the coupler assembled with the two coupler parts swung open; l

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a locomotive and tender coupled together;

Figure 4 is atop plan view of the locomotive and tender coupled together and in the position assumed on curving track;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the coupler elements alone in the positionwhen on straight track;

Figure 6 is a top plan view showing part of a modified form of coupler construction; and

Figure '7 is a perspective view of a complete coupler utilizing the parts shown in Figure 6.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1-5, inclusive, the locomotive L is connected to a mounting plate II by a screw [2. This plate has an upwardly opening, transversely extending channel 13 disposed just to the rear of the locomotive body. The tender T carries a mounting plate 14 having a lower lateral extension [5 and [6, the extensions being extension by a pivot stud R, while a second link of similar length is secured to the other extension by another pivot stud. The free end 2| of link [9 is connected at 22 by another pivot stud to one end of a third link 23, while the free end 24 of link 20 issimilarly connected at 25 to the other end of link 23, the spacing of pivots 22 and 25 is the same as the length of the links l9 and 20. The third link 23 has a depending flange or fin element 26.

The tender can be coupled to the locomotive by merely placing it on the track and lowering the fin element 26 into the channel l3. When the locomotive and tender are on a straight track the pull istaken directly, the parts being in the position shown in Figures 3 and 5.

end of the locomotive, i. e., in the proper posi tion to correspond with steam railroad practice;

When the train passes over a curved track, as inFigure 4, the center lines CL for the locomotive and CL for the tender are no longer in alignment. In taking a righthand turn the. angle link 23 slides in the channel and the linkages open up as indicated in Figures 2 and 4 (the former exaggerated). The link 20 remains under the horizontal part of 23 andlink I9 remains close to. mounting plate I 4. is then transmitted to the tender as though the two vehicles were pivoted together at I! and 22. The links do not open up to permit the tender to trail a distance behind the locomotive. On passing about a left hand turn the operation is reversed and the apparent pivotal connection between the locomotive and tender is at I8, 25, these pivot points shifting downwardly as far below the. center line as the pivot points I! and 22 are above the center line CL in Figure 4.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figures 6 and? the channel shaped element 30 may be carried by the tender, while the linkage system is carried by. the locomotive. A plate 3] is secured tothe locomotive and this plate has upper and lower lateral'extensions 32 and 33. A link 34 is pivoted to the upper extension at 35, while link 36 is pivoted to the lower extension at 3.1. Link 34 is pivoted to a third link 38 at 39, while link 36 is pivoted to the link 38 at 40. The link 38 has a downwardly extending fin-like It will be noted that the tender is very close to the firebox The draw bar pull few of these forms, and various modifications and fchanges being possible, I do not otherwise limit;

myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy railroad vehicle having a; transversely extending upwardly opening channel shaped 'member at one end, and a second toy railroad vehicle having a pivotally carried member. at one end having a fin adapted to enter the channel from above when the vehiclesare on the usual and to slide; along thechannelto" accommo= date for horizontal ,disalig'nment of the vehicles, thepivot for said pivotally carried member be ingiftb one'side ofthe' cent'er ofthe vehicle.

A" toy; railroad vehicle-having a, transversely extending upwardly opening channel shapedrnember'at' one end; and'a s'econdtoy railroad ve-' hicle having a'membercarried' thereby at one end having a fin adaptedto e'nter the channel shaped mer'nber from above when; the vehicles are on the'us'ual'track'andto slide along, the channel to accommodatefor'horizontal disalignment of the vehicles; ands meansfor" soconnecting the fin member and secondvehicle together that the'fin member-can swing about either oftwo'fixed verti'-' cal pivots disposedon opposite? sides of thecentel. line? of the said. second: vehicle, the fin being slidable m the, channel as the vehicles'traverse curved track."

two members interengaging' one another to exert a traction pull" or push but slid'able; trans-'- ve elyf'relat'ive'to one another, one member be A coupler for toy railroadvehicles compris-' s rectlv'connected to one vehicle, the othe'rj' member" being connected tothe' other vehicle na' ax s qr the vehicle w an oblique position; and V a sjecondjrnounting; plate, on the other vehicle having an, upwarmy openingv transverse channel ihto"Whi;ch the fin may be" insertedfrb'mabove for coupling the vehicle's together; tliefin being bl'e lengthwise of the channelwhenthe axis hie vehicle is shifted, IlttiVtOWildthB axis of"th'e' other vehicl'iinltlie direction of th'e'pivotal connectionof fthe"plates;

, 5I'Th e' corn 'n'ation with twoitoy railroadives ea'ch' having wheeled trucks] adapted to o ver' straight and curvedfltrack'g of means" A coupling the j vehicles j together; comprising a member ca'rried'b'y one ofgthe'vehicles at'its end and eluding anupwardly opening transversely rig channel having'a fixed position rela'-' tive o the-vehicleand a me'r'l'rkir carried'by the other vehicle to movelaterally therewith and length as the other two and having one end connecte'd to thetfree end-of the lower link, said free end.connections being so disposed that one of the' firsttwo'links has its free end vertical of the pivot of"- the first mentioned of the other link,

the third link having a depending flange, and a channel member adapted to be secured to the other vehicle.

'7. In" a coupler in cembmaaon; a link of angle shaped cross section" with a dependent vertical fin' and a horizontal upper partprovided" with pivot means at its ends, two links" eachofthe same length as the p'ivot means, spacing andeach having an end pi'vote'd' to tire firsmmk-avdue-6r' said-pivot means; the latter links being insane so as to be vertically disposed relativeto one other and thehoriz o rital part ofthe firstlih an'da vehicle connected part having-laterally d1 j posedeleine'nts provided withpivotimeansspaced the-same distance a'sth'eleng'th's-oithesaid eac of the-latter two linksbe'ing" connected to erie of thelaterally disposed' element's? 8. A toy railroad coupler comprising aplate adapted to be fixedli'r 'carriediby one-vehicle and havingan upwardly' opening-transversely exterrding channel, a second plate adapted to hefifxe'dly carried'by the other vehicle, twolinks eachhav ing anendpivotallyf conn ected to the-"second plate' at poi-n't-s equidis'tant from the center line of the second plat'e and at different levels and crossing said center line, andak third link interconnectingfi the en'ds of the first two linksand having ad'e- 1; eridiiig"-flange; receivable in-= the'cl'iannel} the lengths of all-the linksbeing equal tome-spacing of the pivots in the second plate, the linksbeing at different-levels so that they can'sw-irigin unde'r one'ano'ther; I

9am acoupling device for my "railroad" hicles, an attachment plate adapted to winter-:- connected to three equal length: links, one link having an'end *connec'ted to an end of the other two, the 7 remaining ends of the said' other two links being connected to the i attachment plate at no-ints-spacedan amount equaltdlink-dengtli and disposed to cross one another, and an el me-nt carried 'by the'oth'eryeliicIe and having a sliding connection" on h the first mentioned unka direction-lengthwise ofth'atjlink'i' ABRAM nann es-s3 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. the file ofthispate'nt:

UNITED STAT-EaPATENTS 

